Conditions weren't optimal as rain persistently fell over MetLife Stadium on Sunday, but it was the type of weather that can make any running back excited. And Braelon Allen was ready.
"That's kind of when you've got to put your big boy pants on and everybody knows you're going to run the ball so can you still do it," Allen said. "I just had to do my part, hitting the hole hard and making people miss, pushing the pile."
Allen rushed for a career-high 116 yards on 24 carries (4.8 per) and he scored the game winning 22-yard score with 3:07 left in the game.
The Jets trailed by 12-10 before Allen's go-ahead score was made possible by the special teams unit capitalizing on the Browns' mistake. The snap went right through P Corey Bojorquez's hands
LB Trevin Wallace jumped on the ball setting up a short field.
"It worked out perfectly and worked out in our favor," Allen said. "When that happens, you have to make the most of it."
On third-and-9, Allen wasn't expecting a rush to be called. But once he received the handoff, he bounced to the left and ran 22 yards into the end zone, the longest rushing TD on third down by a Jets running back since 2017, according to Stats Perform.
"It looked like the perfect defense to run it against and the guys of front made it happen, made it really easy for me," Allen said. "Once I hit the edge, obviously we weren't too far out, so I didn't have to outrun anybody."
Breece Hall was listed as inactive for the second straight game after sustaining a quad injury in Week 3, which made Allen the primary back. Isaiah Davis rotated in for a few plays throughout the game, but Allen had the majority of the workload.
The Jets scored on their opening drive for the second time this season with a 32-yard TD pass from QB Geno Smith to WR Garrett Wilson. Allen was heavily involved in the 8-play drive, moving the chains twice on three rushing attempts.
Wilson also eclipsed 100 yards (11 receptions, 104 yards), marking the Jets' first game with both a 100-yard rusher and 100-yard receiver since 2024.
Allen demonstrated patience on some of his most explosive runs, waiting for the right moment to break free. To end the first quarter, Allen took a few steps right before surging down the sideline for 17 yards and he had a similar rush for 18 in the third quarter.
"Braelon played outstanding," Smith said. "I thought the offensive line did a tremendous job at controlling the line of scrimmage up front and really giving us the opportunity to control the clock and run the ball well."
Allen is the third Jets player 22 or younger with 115-plus rushing yards and a rushing TD in a single game. Hall did it in 2022-23 and Bill Mathis in 1961. Allen has 5 rushing TDs, the third most among Jets running backs since the merger before turning 23 years old.
The game-winning ball will join Allen's display, which currently includes the balls from his rushing and receiving TDs against Tennessee when the Jets defeated the Titans 24-17 in 2024, his rookie season.
"Hopefully I continue to grow that collection," Allen said.
